Youth Employment Beneficiaries Want Permanent Employment

Graduates serving under the Edo Youth Employment Scheme (Edo-YES), have expressed concern that after two years, the government is yet to give  them pensionable employment.

The beneficiaries expressed this worry on Wednesday in Benin, at a workshop organised  by Edo Rapid  Response Agency (RRA), in collaboration with Fidelity Bank.

The Edo-YES employees, numbering about 2,000 were employed in August 2009, and were placed on  N17,000 monthly stipends.

They were posted to the Ministries of  Finance; Youth and Sports; Environment; Transport; Agriculture and Post Primary Education Board.

One of the beneficiaries, Mr Wotu Seigha, appealed to Governor Adams Oshiomhole to stop the casualisation of workers  under the aegis of  Edo-YES.

He noted that the monthly stipend of N17, 000 was grossly inadequate for  a graduate  to fend for himself and take care of younger ones.

Seigha, a graduate of education from the University of Benin, said he was dejected because the salary belittled him.

But in his remarks, Dr Mike Aigbiremolen, Regional Manager, Midwest Zone of Fidelity Bank, stressed the need  to stick to budget line and strive to save no matter how poor one’s monthly income might be.

He said that no matter the condition, one could still save, if the person believed that saving was necessary.

The theme of the workshop was “Personal Financial Planning for Graduate Members of Edo- YES”